I just don't think our answer to every spending shortfall should be to tax the wealthier more

That's not the point, though. Making the rich poorer defends the rule of the majority. If you let the powerful amass power indefinitely, it corrupts a democracy into an oligarchy. It doesn't matter whether their wealth is legitimate or not.

You have to think of money like a bomb. You don't want people having bombs. Nothing good is going to come out of that. Of course, if everybody plays nice that bomb will never hurt anybody. But it only takes 1 bad guy to take his bomb and buy a couple officials so he can keep his sweatshop going despite people literally dying in there.

If you want a democracy, tax the rich.